India is said to be one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the logistics companies play a huge role in it. At present, all the economies in the world are hard stuck by the ongoing pandemic and India is no different.
As there are some relaxations in the lockdown lately, the logistics industry is once again putting its wheels on the roads but there are so many aspects that have to be looked after. Other than the constant efforts of the logistics companies, the Government is also trying to come up with new and innovative strategies for the advancement of this sector. Initiatives like building of advanced infrastructures, implementation of supportive policies and professional training for skillful labors are helping the sector to grow. Along with these advancements, the commencement of work in the logistics sector has to entail the following guidelines:
- Only 50% deployment of current labor
- Following the rules of social distancing at work place
- Sanitizing every possible item
- Wearing gloves and mask at workplace
- Rotating labors at workplace
Covid-19 has certainly put a stop on overall workings of the logistics sector but that does not mean that it won’t be back on track once all it is over. While developments like GST have smoothen the entire workings of logistics chain, there are several other aspects that logistics suffer from. Let’s look into it with bit more detail.
Introduction of GST
Coming back to the other aspects of logistics growth in India, GST’s impact has enabled an uninterrupted flow of goods without the geographical divide. This is particularly good in current times when warehouse managers are not in the position of splurging money on separate things in global economic recession.
Highways and transportation processes
Whether it is just another warehouse for lease in India or a full-fledged logistics firm like Indospace, better ways of logistics management require a safe, efficient and viable transportation system that can reduce the expenditure of the logistics process. This will help to drastically reduce the complexities in spotting orders, quickly completing delivery processes and placing new ones. Availability of modes of transportation, efficient operators, and profitable transit routes are other concerns for which the visibility in the market is affected.
Highways are still considered as the backbone of transportation for carrying around 65% of the total goods as per National Highways Development Projects (NHDP) and the road cargo transportation heavily relies on the trucks. Unfortunately, the Indian road conditions do not speak for the auto logistics companies. The country is home to over 50 national highways but the sad state of affair is that most of them are narrow and lack adequate infrastructure. The road conditions affect the desirable routes, mode of transportation and the costing process. Many measures are being taken and hopefully these shortcomings will soon be eradicated.
Introduction of new technology into the sector
The logistics sector is still unorganized and needs a reshuffling with rapid tech-adoption. New-age technology is being increasingly used to optimize the use of fleet, improve route planning and achieve operational efficiency. Logistics enterprises should embrace paperless backend operations, real-time vehicle tracking, and best utilization of available data. Well, a plethora of solutions including GPS-based equipment, driver behavior monitoring and on-demand assistance in case of machine failures and breakdowns supports these initiatives. The unmatched transparency these technologies can offer is set to transform the overall traditional logistics picture.
The warehouse sector also suffers from multiple drawbacks. Factors like leasing policies, location, and types of infrastructure dominate the warehousing process. Inadequate circumstances not only increase the processing time but also the expenditure of the process. To meet the demands, the logistics companies are constantly updating their policies and trying to overcome these challenges.
